With the threat of war, the impact of climate change and the turbulence of politics, it can be easy to feel disheartened. But Church history shows that crisis always precedes renewal, says Mark Sayers
We’re experiencing a period of tremendous crisis on multiple levels. But often, in moments of desperation, people turn to prayer, longing for God to move. When people realise that they have come to the end of their abilities, that’s where God’s abilities begin.
When the cultural stories that can sometimes enable people to live without God begin to fall, people turn to the Church - and the Church grows. This is the beginning of renewal. When the Church begins to press in, God starts to do things. People become more devoted in their faith; they become more engaged.
A history of crisis
The 1600s were a time of terrible turmoil in the UK. There was a mini ice age, governments were falling, there were multiple wars and plagues. Society was torn apart. But in the wake of that came the Great Awakening of the 1700s through people like Wesley and Whitefield.
Young people who, five or six years ago would struggle to get to a prayer meeting, wanted to pray at 3am!
My city, Melbourne, was one of the richest in the world at the end of the 19th century. As land prices fell, it went into a great economic depression. But people began to pray and, in 1903, there was a revival here and the gospel went out around Australia and into Asia. It’s a pattern we see throughout Church history.
Signs of revival
Often, signs of renewal come while the crisis is still occurring. One sign is that people start questioning the big stories that enable them to live without God. All of a sudden, we see people, from Russell Brand to Nick Cave, approach Christianity and ask questions that would have been unthinkable ten years ago.
From the potential of world war to climate change to AI, there’s not just one challenge facing society at the moment but multiple things. And when they are so big, you start to realise that you need a force big enough to meet those challenges – and that is God.
The second sign is that Christians begin to come together with an expectation that they really need God to move; that the problems we’re facing are insurmountable. I think that’s one of the things that marks this moment. When there’s extraordinary prayer, extraordinary expectation and extraordinary unity, that’s when you begin to see something happen.
The history of awakenings in the Church are filled with men and women from all different backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities and ages. But one thing they had in common was a sense of coming to the end of themselves.
There’s tremendous pressure in being a leader. The last few years, socially, politically, through Covid, secularisation etc, it’s been really hard to lead. But when you come to the end of yourself, that’s when you’re ripe for renewal. And normally, before a renewal happens in a community or church, it must happen personally to the leader first. Individual renewal leads to something greater.
Hungry for more
Melbourne was, for many years, the world’s most livable city – but as a pastor, it was a tough place to do ministry because life was so good. There were so many options on a Sunday; you could go skiing or to the beach, so many world-class sports. But now, as the wheels start to wobble a bit, there is a growing spiritual hunger. We’re seeing people who have never been to church coming along. It’s really exciting.
We struggled to meet as a church for two years because of covid lockdowns, and we had to completely rebuild. It was a really tough time - people left and a lot of people moved out of the city. But about 18 months ago, we really sensed something starting to happen – and not just here.
When the Church begins to press in, God starts to do things
In London, the US, New Zealand, God is on the move. We began to notice a hunger in our services. Our prayer meetings grew. We built a prayer room in the middle of our church and people began to pray through the night. Young people who, five or six years ago would struggle to get to a prayer meeting, wanted to pray at 3am!
A year ago, during one of our services, we were two songs in and just about to take communion when we just felt the presence of God in such a profound and transformative way. That began to happen more often. A few weeks ago, at the end of the service, people didn’t want to stop. They just kept worshipping for an hour and a half - and we’re not normally one of those churches!
I’m hearing it across the spectrum - from Baptists to Presbyterians. Coptic Egyptians are having an awakening among their young people in Australia. We’re seeing something.
Is it massive? No.
But is it unlike anything I’ve seen in my ministry life? Yes.
It’s not yet a raging forest fire, but there’s definitely spot fires taking hold. There’s something happening. It’s like people’s mood has shifted. We’re putting less hope in the promises of the world, and we’re growing in our expectation of what God can do.
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